Host A Player

Host a Shark Player for Summer 2019 Sharks are coming from Colleges Such as: Stanford, Va Tech, Duke.

We are gearing-up for the 2019 season and need host families to ensure we have another successful season.

Who do you contact as a prospective host family? When a player arrives on the Vineyard for the first time, who do you look for? As a parent, who do you contact if you have a question? Russ Curran

Summer sons become members of your family forever past players still speak to their former host families and have visited them yearly after their summer season.

The most important spoke in the operational wheel for the Martha's Vineyard Sharks is the network of host families. Thirty players will descend on the Vineyard this summer and will require the community’s support in finding a place to stay for each and every one of them.

The New Wngland Collegiate Baseball League and the Sharks follow the tradition of professional minor league baseball and summer collegiate baseball, i.e. we are looking for those special families that will open their homes to Sharks players. This is a tradition that has been going on for decades. The bond between player and family becomes strong. Players and their families are often times still in touch long after the player leaves the local town and continue with their collegiate careers. It is that type of familial bond that makes amateur collegiate baseball what it is!

Each host family receives a season pass for each family member to the bleachers as a way of the Sharks showing their appreciation. Additionally the Sharks will provide a Sharks T-shirt for each member of the family and a Sharks baseball cap. The Sharks will set aside a “host family day” before one of our home games near the end of the baseball season and each family will receive on-field recognition.

Host families are not responsible to provide accommodations for a player’s friends or family.

Host families are not expected to provide transportation for any player’s family or friends (either local or to airports).

Host families are not allowed to house any player discharged from the team.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

What must I provide for the player(s) I host?

At the very least, families are required to supply players with a room, a regular bed, access to laundry and access to the kitchen. Providing the players with food and access to the Internet is not mandatory, but encouraged.

Am I expected to provide my boarder with transportation?

No. Several of the players will drive their own cars, and for those who don’t drive, the team will arrange transportation for them.

How long will the players require housing?

Players are arriving on or around June 1, and the season will span until the end of second week of August. This might be extended a few days in case of playoffs.

Can I host more than one player?

Yes! Those that would like to host multiple players are invited to do so.

Under what guidelines will the players abide?

The athletes are expected to follow and respect each family’s rules, whether it’s a curfew, cleanliness standards or assigned chores. Summer baseball is like a “road test” for what it’s like to be in the majors. It is stressed that they are being judged not just on athletic performance, but the positive image they put forth.

What is a player’s daily itinerary like?

The Sharks will play an approximate 44-game season schedule; those that qualify will participate in the playoffs. Our home games begin at 7 p.m., they’ll be expected at the field for early-afternoon warm-ups and batting practice. Away games will be in the evening in New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine and Massachusetts. The team will arrive in most cases after the last ferry has departed from Woods Hole. In such cases the team will charter the Patriot from Falmouth that will drop them off at R.M. Packers pier behind the Shell station on Beach Road in Vineyard Haven. On their off-days, which will be few, they may work a part-time job. They’re also invited to work at the Sharks baseball camps for kids, speak to groups on behalf of the Sharks and participate in local charity work, such as hospital visits or Habitat for Humanity.

Am I required to attend the games?

No. Many of the host families lined the field at the park to support the team, but it is not required. If you do wish to attend the game you and your family will be given free passes to the game.

As a matter of common sense, a background check will be made for all host families implementing Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) regulations, which requires that the individual present a completed CORI form (that will be provided by the Sharks) and his or her picture to the MV Regional School Administration building located at 4 Pine Street in Vineyard Haven.